Everyone Must Grow Up
by SpendingMyVacationAtTheLibrary
Summary: Things have never been easy for Korra, so why should her wedding be any different? She wanted a fairytale Spirit World Wedding, fit for the Avatar, no less... but the Spirits had other plans.
1. Chapter 1

Announcement

Tenzin was contemplating loneliness, when he heard it.

A sound that shocked him, appearing suddenly in the halcyon of silence – though he knew it well, having spent most of his life surrounded by it. His mother, his sister, his wife and his daughters all did it frequently, usually at his expense.

Giggling.

It was hardly audible, yet it filled the narrow hallway, and it filled his lonely soul. Things had been far too quiet, for far too long – now the simple sound, fundamental in inciting joy, spread like a blossoming bud.

He edged closer to the source, and the laughing became more defined, chorused now, by a symphony of hushed, barely distinguishable whispers.

" – you really think that it's possible?"

"I think so… _I hope so_, it would be wonderful."

The airbender smiled upon recognising the various voices. Just a wooden door separated him from his eldest daughter, the spiritual leader and the apple of his eye; the Avatar, whom might as well have been his daughter; and Asami Sato. Tenzin hadn't seen them all under one roof for six years.

He wasn't sentimental (well, maybe he got a little teary every now and then, but as a father and somebody rapidly approaching old age, that was to be expected) however, the prospect of opening _that_ door – seeing all of their faces, and being transported back to a time where his little girl was _still _his little girl – made his eyes prickle.

He hesitated. Maybe he should wait until they'd finished their, uh, _girl-talk_.

As it turned out, he didn't have too.

The door swung open, and he was ambushed by tight hugs and simultaneous cries of "Tenzin!" and "Dad!"

The shock subsided. The situation sunk in. Tenzin remembered how to form a coherent sentence.

"Girls… Why didn't you let me know you were coming?"

Korra pulled away, grinning like a madwoman.

"We wanted to surprise you! We're staying for a few days." She exclaimed, threading an arm around her partner's waist, with a gleeful grin. For a woman nearing thirty and a fully realised Avatar, she was exceedingly childish. It astounded him; how she could be so mature and full of wisdom, yet still embody youth and freedom. The only conclusion he could muster was that it was down to her counterpart. As a business woman, Asami was more level-headed: calm, graceful and at peace, now that any major conflict had ceased to exist. He had to admit, they balanced each other beautifully.

Asami hadn't rushed to embrace Tenzin. They weren't as close, and both were rather polite and proper. Instead, she held out a hand, which he shook, courteously. She looked at him then, and her eyes flickered with fleeting concern.

"That's not a problem, is it?"

"No, not at all!" He rested his hand on Jinora's shoulder. Well, tried to. Panic bloomed in his chest upon realising that she was too tall for him to comfortably do so. He removed it, and swallowed. "Let's… let's find Pema."

The three girls… the three _women _set off down the corridor.

Tenzin lingered for a moment, trying to catch the breath caught in his throat, before smoothing down his robes, and proceeding behind.

At first, dinner had been uneventful. Ikki and Meelo were actually engaged in an epic staring match over their bowls of rice – the winner was to receive last night's leftover egg custard tart. Jinora and her mother were the only people talking… and even then it was mostly Jinora. The older woman was practically glowing, basking in the fact that she had been reunited with her eldest child. She listened intently about business regarding the Spirits and the Air Nation, interrupting now and then to ask questions like "How's Kai?" and "Have you been eating?" that her daughter would answer flippantly, before continuing.

Tenzin chewed on his noodles while observing the couple sat in front of him. Constantly, it seemed, Korra and Asami would exchange glances, or whisper to one another. He didn't wish to meddle in their private affairs, but something was definitely going on between them. He assured himself that he would find out what it was, before their visit was over.

"Rohan, sweetie," Pema said, all of a sudden. "It's getting late. I think you should be getting off to bed."

"But, Mom!" The child whined. "Everyone else is staying up!"

Meelo grabbed his baby brother and vigorously ruffled his hair.

"That's because we're all older than you, pipsqueak!"

"You blinked!" Ikki shouted, victorious. Meanwhile, Rohan did not respond well to his brother's taunting. His face flushed and his fists balled with pent up anger – bottled up and hidden under the calm, Air Nomad demeanour – that threatened to burst.

"I was talking to Rohan, Ikki, it doesn't – hey!_ Stop it!" _Meelo struggled against the torrent of tiny fists that his brother pummelled him with. In a feeble attempt to throw him off, he sent a gust of air that missed its target, and blew the decorative fruit pie, which had been serving as a centrepiece, into Ikki's face.

Obviously, chaos ensued. Flying bowls of rice: an all-out airbender versus airbender battle of the siblings, and there could be only one winner. Jinora tried to pull the trio apart, but wound up covered in a viscid, lurid, sugary goop.

There was something that Korra had always noticed about their parents in situations such as this. Tenzin was the prime example of the fragility of a father's sanity; Pema was living proof of a mother's stoicism. While Tenzin's eyes twitched at the ever declining dinner-time decorum, Pema's steely green ones were deadpan, as she continued to wind her noodles onto her chopsticks. She's seen this a thousand times before. So had Korra.

One glance from Asami and she knew that they were both thinking the same thing. One way or another, they had to stop the spat before it got ugly, and the opportune moment to break their news had been soiled.

"Um, guys?"

_Nothing._

"We kinda have something to tell you!"

_Nought._

"It would be great if you could stop for a moment –"

_Nada. Zilch. Zero._

Korra sucked in all the breath that she could muster, and slammed her hands down onto the table.

"ASAMI AND I ARE GETTING MARRIED!"

_Silence._

The air was thick with nothingness. Seven pairs of wide eyes stared back at the Avatar, who immediately regretted her outburst. This was _not_ how she had planned to break the news... A single bowl clattered to the floor, which dragged everyone from their shock induced stupor, and to Korra's utter relief, they were _smiling_. Great, fat smiles of pure, unadulterated delight.

"That's so great!" Pema beamed.

"Wait, you're getting married? Like _married_, married?" Meelo said, peeling a stubborn noodle from his forehead.

Under the table, Asami's cool hands grasped Korra's, and she trailed her thumb across the Avatar's knuckles. This gesture, albeit simple, planted a seed of warmth in Korra's chest – her fiancé's way of saying 'go on' – and coaxed the words from her mouth with confidence.

"Yeah. _Married_, married." She turned to the engineer, beholding her gleaming green eyes in reverie.

Tenzin was happy for them, although, for some reason, he felt that they still had something to hide. For one, Jinora was sat rather smugly, with a knowing smirk plastered on her face. He resolved to probe deeper.

"So, this was the big surprise?"

"Actually," said Asami. "We had an idea regarding the ceremony, and we wanted to talk to you and Jinora about it."

_So that's what they were talking about this afternoon, _the airbender thought, chagrined. _I notice that they went to Jinora first… _

Korra cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I – _we – _were thinking about having it… in the Spirit World."

_…__The Spirit World…_

"Oh, how lovely! What a – "

"Absolutely not. I won't allow it." Tenzin declared, cutting off his wife's gushing abruptly.

Korra turned on him so fast; he wouldn't have been surprised if she got whiplash.

"_What?_ You won't _allow_ it?" Her glacial eyes were unnerving as her temper flared.

But an angry Korra wasn't something that Tenzin hadn't dealt with before.

He folded his arms.

"You heard me. It would be abusing your power as the Avatar, and making a mockery of the Spiritual Realm."

"You're not my babysitter anymore, Tenzin! You have no right to tell me what I can and can't do!"

"You asked for my advice, and I gave it." He said, coldly.

"That wasn't advice! That was an order!"

"Korra, _please_," The master shook his head, as if he were dealing with an unruly tyke, not a grown woman. "This is the Spirit World we are talking about, not some vacation hotspot that you can bring a crowd into willy-nilly!"

Jinora had opened her mouth to try and intervene – "Don't you think that you're over-reacting a little, Dad?" – However neither had heard her utter a word.

"And this is my _wedding_ we are talking about. Am I not supposed to be the 'bridge between two worlds'? It's the perfect place!"

Tenzin's knuckles turned pale as he gripped the table, a feeble attempt to keep his temper in check. The ball of fury ballooned in his chest until it was ready to pop… he stood, his wooden chair falling out from underneath him and colliding with the ground with a 'bang!'.

"For the last time, I said, 'No'! That is my final answer, and the last I want to hear of it!"

It was as if time had been frozen. Korra blinked. The shock of Tenzin's harsh tone had the same effect as falling in the ice-water, back at the South Pole. They'd never had a row so fierce – yet so short – and, briefly, tears wetted her lashes. She blinked them away, determined not to lose face and prove to the kids that looked up to her that she was just a pushover, and then she stood and shouted back:

"If you feel so strongly about it, then don't bother showing up!"

She stomped out of the room.

"Korra!" Asami called, to which there was no reply, only the distant sound of a bedroom door slamming shut.

After that, the people at the dinner table began to file away in awkward silence. Tenzin left to cool off; Meelo took his little brother to bed; Pema and Ikki took the last few bowls to the kitchens; until only Jinora and Asami remained at the table.

Asami twiddled with the silver band around her finger. It was nothing expensive, her fiancée had made it herself using her metal-bending, and so it was rather crudely engraved. Alas, its worth was not in economic value. The ring was special because Korra had made it for her, along with the promise to love and stand by her forever. That meant more than any pricey stone ever could.

Now her love was in a sour mood… and it looked as if their wedding would be postponed until further notice.

Jinora sighed.

"Well, that went_ well_."


	2. Chapter 2

Comfort

When Asami entered the guestroom later that night, Korra was sat on the bed, hugging her knees. Her dark hair tumbled over her broad, coffee-coloured shoulder blades and down her back – she was facing away from Asami, so her wife-to-be couldn't see her face.

Or judge the volatility of her emotions.

"Korra?" She ventured further into the dim room, tenderly placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, so as not to startle her.

The Avatar didn't move. So the Engineer sat down next to her.

"I'm an idiot, Asami." She sighed.

"Well, I'm not disagreeing."

Korra shoved her, playfully. "I mean, I messed it all up. I should've known that Tenzin would react the way he did… If I'd broken the news differently, maybe we could've…" She sighed, again.

"This wasn't your fault, Korra."

"It kinda was."

"No," Asami grasped her fiancée's chin and tilted her head towards her, so she could see her face. "_It wasn't._ You and Tenzin just had a difference in opinion, and I know that you can resolve this, because you always do."

Her heart sank like a stone in a pond, when Korra pulled away, walking towards the open window, where the drapes fluttered in the night air like sullen phantoms.

"What is there to resolve? I banned him from the wedding, and it's not as if he'd want to come if it was in the Spirit World… He still thinks that we have no right to hold it there."

Resilient, Asami followed her. In the pale hues of the night, Korra's subtle beauty stood out like a shining coin. The full moon cast its light onto the planes of her face in such a way, that for a second, Asami was lost for words. She planted a small kiss on her beloved's cheek.

"You wanna know what I think?"

"Shoot."

"A wedding in the Spirit World _would_ have been beautiful. It's the most amazing place there is, and now we probably won't be able to have it there."

"_Wow_, I feel so much better!" Korra said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Let me finish! It may have been your dream wedding, but can you imagine your wedding without Tenzin there? He's always been like a second father to you."

_She's right._

_Of course, she's right. She's always right. _

The whole event would just feel… _wrong_ without Tenzin there. He was a vital cog in the mechanism: Korra couldn't imagine her life without him in it, nor could she bear to. Had she been in the wrong? She grimaced. The memory of the meal had an acidic sting. She remembered how quick she'd been to snap back at her mentor, acting as foolish and juvenile as a child, as usual.

"What are you suggesting?"

"It doesn't matter where we have our wedding, as long as we are together, and walk away from it as a married couple. As long as we spend the rest of our lives together, _nothing else matters_. I love you, and I want to marry you as soon as physically possible."

In an explosion of emotion – happiness, relief and unsullied adoration – Korra flung her arms around her bride. They stood together for a few moments, tangled in a warm embrace, and comforted by each other's company. She wished she could stay this way forever, enveloped in the homely scent of cinnamon and fresh laundry; pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. Nevertheless, she had something to fix.

"I have to go apologise." Korra murmured into Asami's soft, black tresses.

_Or I could stay here a while longer…_

Reluctantly, she let go.

"Good luck." Asami said softly. "I know you'll work it out."

"I hope so."

* * *

><p><em>Left, right, left, right… turn… left, right, left, right… tur –<em>

"Honey? Are you there?"

Tenzin grumbled in response, then continued to pace the length of the veranda. His wife closed the door behind her, hugging her arms to shield herself from the vicious sea-winds, as she walked towards the railing.

_Left, right, left, right… turn… left, right, left, right… tur – _

"If you're here to change my mind, you won't." He said tersely.

"A little melodramatic, aren't we?" Pema said with a laugh.

Her husband was not amused. He huffed, then span on his heels like a soldier on parade, and resumed his rapid march back and forth.

"I mean it, Pema. I'm putting my foot down!" To emphasize his point, he stamped his left foot, then gave a small nod in self-approval.

Pema rolled her eyes.

"Tenzin, what is so wrong with a wedding in the Spirit World? She_ is_ the Avatar, after all."

He threw his arms up into the air in exasperation – glaring at the sky as if he was issuing a challenge to the stars themselves.

"Everything! The Spirit World is a place that needs to be preserved; not used for something as commonplace as this! The Spirits would be displeased, and then Yue knows what havoc they could unleash! It was bad enough before the Harmonic Convergence, and we just couldn't cope with that level of damage, not again… You wouldn't understand: you're an Acolyte…"

His spouse's glower bore into his skull.

"I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. But, you understand what I'm trying to say, don't you?"

_Left, right, left, right… turn… left, right, left, right… tur – _

Pema placed her hand on his back.

"Sweetie, I know that you know a lot about this sort of thing, but you're not the only one. Jinora thinks it would work. And so does Korra!"

He massaged his temples. It was difficult for Tenzin to accept the possibility that he, the son and protégé of the great Avatar Aang, wasn't the most knowledgeable spiritual source. It just added insult to injury, that the real expert was, in fact, his own daughter. He was supposed to be her teacher – yet now it seemed that he was the braggart student, who thought he knew everything.

There was something else, though, playing at the back of his mind.

"Pema," He said quietly. "The Spirit World is dangerous. We all know that I can't handle rogue spirits… if one attacked, and one of us got hurt… I'd be powerless, and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

She opened her mouth to speak; then closed it again, like a gaping fish.

"Do you remember _our_ wedding?" She said, after a moment's silence.

"Of course I do."

"Do you remember the incident with the roses?"

Ah, the roses. How could he forget? Pema had mentioned casually while they were planning the event, that she would like red roses on the tables. Of course, when the date arrived, mountains of flowers were delivered to Air Temple Island – not a single one of them a red rose.

One of the Acolytes had messed up the order.

In the end, Tenzin wound up traipsing through the Earth Kingdom on a quest for the perfect flowers. The only place he found was a little, decrepit florists miles out of Republic City, owned by a woman who looked as wilted as her stock. There was only one rose that wasn't half dead from thirst. It was all worth it, though, just to have the love of his life smile, call him a 'romantic idiot', and kiss him on the lips.

Pema got married with that rose in her hair. It's been on her dresser ever since.

"You travelled all that way, just because I asked for red roses. Why?"

"Because I wanted you to be happy. I wanted our wedding to be…"

"Perfect?"

"Yes."

"Exactly. You only get one best day of your life, and the Spirits know Korra and Asami deserve something special, with all that they've been through. Just… just think about it, okay?"

She squeezed her husband on the shoulder, and went back inside.

Tenzin was left, swarmed by his own buzzing thoughts. He considered what Pema had said. The whole thing_ was_ rather ridiculous. Nothing she had said contradicted with his own feelings, so why did he still feel an air of unease when he thought about Korra and Asami's marriage?

The door opened again, interrupting the din of his thoughts.

It was Korra, dressed in her pyjamas and looking rather sheepish.

"Hello."

"Good evening."

She walked over to him and leant her forearms on the railing, quietly observing the scene before her. The seawater was as placid and black as onyx, moulding with the darkness of the night sky. Republic City was a beacon on the horizon – its never ceasing lights glowing like a mass convergence of twinkling fireflies.

"It's a nice night out, tonight." She said.

"Yes."

"Look, Tenzin, I just wanna tell you that I'm sorry for before. I acted irrationally, and I shouldn't have turned on you the way I did."

Tenzin glanced at the woman stood beside him. He could tell by her tone that the apology had been difficult: she was still as headstrong as usual. Just the fact that she had apologised proved something to him: she'd grown. He'd noticed it before, however now they were closer; he could see the minuscule threads of grey just about beginning to show in her hair, and the slight dimming of her eyes. It wasn't that they'd completely lost their lustre – they just seemed more tranquil and serene. All of these things were tell-tale signs that Korra was aging.

She'd be getting married soon, too.

He would be saying goodbye to the Avatar, whom he'd known since she was a baby. She didn't live with him anymore, but the wedding just felt more permanent. Not that he didn't trust Asami. Miss Sato had proved on many occasions that she could handle Korra; that she loved her. That wasn't what had him worried.

After Korra there would be Jinora getting married.

Then Ikki.

And Meelo would finally settle down.

Even Rohan would eventually leave the nest. And where would that leave him? An old man with nobody to teach; to care for.

Tenzin inhaled slowly.

"It's alright, Korra. _I_ was too harsh with _you_."

"Guess we both sort of messed up, huh? I talked with Asami – or she talked with me – and we decided that having you there is more important than where we get married."

Korra shifted, turning around so that her back now leant on the wooden rail. She looked up at her old tutor. He had a pained look in his eyes.

"No." He sighed.

"Sorry?"

"Don't change your plans for my sake. Pema's right. You deserve to be happy, both of you."

She couldn't stop the beaming smile that split across her face as she stood up straight, hoping that she had heard correctly.

"You mean…?"

Tenzin grasped her shoulders.

"The Spirit World sounds lovely."

* * *

><p><strong>AN – Ugh… This chapter was so… ugh. I'm sorry that it was so full of dialogue more than actual plot, and that it was so repetitive. It was mostly just a filler chapter to resolve conflict before the wedding. The next one shall be more exciting! I do not own the Legend of Korra or any of the characters used in this story.**


	3. Chapter 3

Marriage

Asami took a deep breath.

She kept her arm tightly wrapped around Tonraq's – who was going to walk her down the aisle – for fear that she'd fall. Her thoughts were swimming, and she could barely stand.

The crowd were looking at her, expectantly: all the faces of the people that she and Korra had come to know. There was Varrick and Zhu Li, wrestling with a little girl that had her father's hair and her mother's eyesight; Toph, sat between Lin and Katara, with a blank, bored expression; Mako and Bolin, sat closest to the front with happy, glad expressions; and Korra. Her soon-to-be wife stood at the altar looking dauntingly stunning in a simple dress of blues and whites.

The music started. That meant that Asami had to start walking.

Each step that her leaden feet took closer to Korra was so nerve-wracking, it hurt… yet somehow, it was a good kind of hurt. The exhilarating kind.

They came to a sudden stop, and Tonraq kissed her on the cheek, giving her a loving squeeze on the shoulder before heading to his own seat. Asami's nerves were at their peak. She was probably going to vomit all over her new dress…

She swallowed the bubble of nerves, and buried it deep into the depths of her stomach, as she moved to face the woman she loved.

"Hi, you." Whispered Korra, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Hi, yourself." She whispered back.

Tenzin began to speak – his strong voice carrying over the Spirit World planes – but Asami never heard a word. She was too busy marvelling at Korra: how her dress fit her figure perfectly, and how the blue trims were the exact colour of her eyes. How her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders like a sweetly scented waterfall.

_She looks beautiful…_

_She _is_ beautiful._

At last, came her part of the ceremony.

"And, do you, Asami Sato, take Avatar Korra, to be your spouse for life? Do you promise to love one another, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, for better or for worse, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

Jinora, a bridesmaid, handed a necklace to Korra. It had a cobalt blue pendant, etched with a swirling pattern that looked a lot like the beams of the Spirit World Portal, and was attatched to a pale ribbon. Asami knew that the betrothal necklace was a Northern Water Tribe tradition, but by exchanging necklaces, they would be honouring her father's heritage. Ikki handed Asami the necklace that _she'd_ made. The pendant was silver, the symbol for water carved into it. It hung on a red ribbon.

The necklace clashed with Korra's outfit, but that was the point – they wanted to wear something that would remind one of the other.

After they exchanged necklaces, she waited with bated breath, one hand on the blue stone around her neck.

"I now pronounce you spouses for life."

In their eagerness to be the initiators of the kiss, they ended up bumping foreheads. Korra laughed, clear and bright as a bell. Asami laughed, too. Now that they were married, a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Freedom from the burden of worry sent her spirit soaring high above the clouds.

She kissed the bride.

Korra weaved through the small crowd, accepting congratulations with an obligatory smile and a polite nod of the head. She was distracted – everyone was preparing to leave the Spirit World, but she couldn't find her wife anywhere.

"Korra? Is something wrong?"

She turned to find Katara, stood with Toph, Lord Zuko, Lin and Suyin.

"No, I'm just looking for Asami. Has anyone seen her?"

Toph grunted. "She's over there. Honestly, you call yourself an earthbender?"

"Thank you, sifu." She started in the direction that Toph had been pointing in – but not before she caught the ex-chief's boisterous complaints.

"So what's all the brouhaha over this place? I don't get what the fuss is about."

"_Mom!" _Lin berated. The old Firelord chuckled.

She found Asami perched on the edge of a small cliff, scanning the scene below, as if she was searching for something. Or someone.

It was no secret that one of the main reasons that Asami had agreed to a wedding in the Spirit World was the slight chance that the spirit of Hiroshi Sato would make an appearance. Alas, he had not.

"Hello, Mrs. Sato." She greeted, sitting down beside her.

"Hello, Mrs. Sato." Her spouse replied with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry you didn't see him. The chances of seeing one particular spirit are just… really small."

"I know. I just thought he'd show up for my wedding."

Korra didn't know what to say. Consoling had never really been her area of expertise. She wrapped her arms around Asami, holding her tightly, and hoping that that was enough.

"If there's anything that I can do…"

"Just sit here with me for a while."

Her eyes wandered over the landscape. This world always reflected Korra's feelings: today the sky was glowing pink with gold-tipped clouds floating sluggishly across it. Exotic plants bloomed in bursts of vibrant colours, and every so often she would catch a glimpse of translucent spirits floating by. She was so full of joy; she just wished that she could share it with her best friend and soulmate.

"He loved you, you know."

"Yeah…" Suddenly, Asami's eyes grew wide. "Korra, do you see that?"

"What?" They were facing in opposite directions. Korra pulled away, and turned around; her heart turned cold.

A dark shape scuttled towards the crowd of unsuspecting guests: ready to catch them unawares, and steal away their identities. The Avatar had only heard of this being through stories, and yet there he was, ready to prey on the people she loved.

_Not today, please, of all days, not today._

As fear crept into her heart, darkness crept onto the fields. The trees became gnarled and twisted; the plants became rotten and wilted; and grey storm clouds filled the sky.

She ran, down the sloping hill, tripping and stumbling like a gangly ostrich-foal.

The people were scared.

That was bad. _Very bad._

"Stay calm! Don't show any expression!" She screamed. She probably would've looked hilarious – shouting with a completely emotionless expression – but the situation was too dire for anyone to care. The crowd was obviously confused, though they did as they were told.

"Korra, what's going on?" Said Senna.

"Nothing, you just need to stay calm."

"We meet again, _Avatar_."

Koh stretched up to his full form, towering over them. He twisted through the guests, squaring up to them and searching their faces for any flicker of fear. Zhu Li's infant child whelped – and the creature shot towards the sound. But the mother held the child firmly, hiding her face from the monster before her.

"What are you doing here, Koh? Why are you out of your realm?" Korra challenged.

He 'blinked' and his face changed to a grotesque, gnarled mask.

"I could say the same to you… _humans_… Look at you all – fresh, new faces, all walking willingly into the world of the Spirits. You've served yourselves up on a silver platter." He drawled, legs clicking as he walked.

Tenzin stepped up. "Spirit, leave us! You have no business here!"

Koh smiled. "Ah… I know _you_. The son of Avatar Aang – tell me, if you have never even been to our world, what authority do you possess over me?"

"I…"

"I thought so. _None_."

Korra had to clench her fist to keep the anger from showing on her face.

"But _I_ do. I am the Avatar!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than her breath was squeezed out of it. Koh wrapped his glossy, armoured shell around her and wound himself tight.

As the breath started to leave her lungs, she could only imagine that this was how the Earth Queen must've felt during her demise.

"No!" Someone shouted. Asami.

The spirit dropped Korra, and pinned her wife to the ground.

"Concern…? Fear!" He spat.

The woman writhed under his grasp, but he held her too tight. Never had Korra felt so useless in all of her life. There had to be something she could do! The hopelessness of the situation turned her mind to soup. Then, like a lone star in the desolate night, she had an idea.

"Koh!" She shouted. He flinched in her direction – only for a spilt second, but it was enough time for Asami to deliver a heeled kick to his face.

He screamed in agony, the sickening crunch reverberating through everyone's minds. There was a mass hysteria: women with young children and people without fighting skills scrambled to get away, while all the benders formed a line, volleying the spirit with torrents of rock, flame, wind and water.

Asami limped to help Rohan away from the fight.

They were winning for a while. The ground shuddered as Toph pulled another gargantuan boulder from the depths of the earth. Korra wiped the sweat from her forehead.

_Curse this damn dress!_

She was tiring, and, with there being no need to practice their skills anymore, so was everyone else. The only thing that prevented Koh from taking their faces was the fact that he was being kept at bay. Any second now, he would break through the wall of elements, and strike.

They needed a miracle.

And they got one.

Quite unsuspectedly, a figure appeared between the face stealer and the wedding party. Korra couldn't recognise it, but Bolin dropped the spinning disc of lava he was bending and said "M-Mom?"

Another figure appeared beside her: a woman in a green dress and spectacles balanced on the end of her nose. Somebody shouted: "Aunt Chou!"

One by one, spirits materialised, amidst shouts of 'Uncle!' and 'Dad!' and various other names by the people who recognised them. They were fighting, kicking, punching or simply pushing Koh away – Korra could've sworn that she even saw a boomerang bounce off of Koh's shell – like ants and flies swarming a carcass.

As one they spoke.

"_These people are under our protection!"_

They overcame him, and with an angry wail, the beast vanished.

As soon as the mysterious apparitions had appeared, they had gone. Extinguishing. Disappearing. Sand trickling through fingers.

One single entity lingered, with woeful eyes.

He looked to his daughter, smiled, and departed without a word.

* * *

><p>The night was young but all the guests had gone.<p>

Asami sat with her leg propped up on a chair, thoughtfully stroking the stone around her neck with one hand, and holding Korra's hand with the other. What a day they'd had. What a terrible, wonderful day they'd had. She shifted to ease the pain in her bandaged ankle - the kick she'd delivered to that horrible creature had most likely done more damage to her than to him.

"Today was... A disaster, wasn't it?"

"It could've gone better. But we're married now. That's all that matters."

Her wife nodded and squeezed her hand.

"It was sorta like old times, huh?"

"It was."

After a moment of quiet, Korra snorted.

"At least we learnt something today."

"What?"

"We can still kick butt in dresses."

They shared a laugh.

The radio hummed from the apartment next door. Ironically, it was the song that they were going to used as their first dance as a married couple, except they never got to that stage. The melody was muffled, taunting Asami like a prize she could never reach.

All of a sudden, Korra was out of her seat, and pulling Asami up with her.

"Korra, what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I didn't practice for six weeks for nothing."

Korra began to dance. They swayed in time to the music, stumbling, getting steps wrong and not caring. They were lost to the world in their own private cocoon, dancing their hearts out: torn, dust-smothered dresses and all.

Her ankle burned with every step, but with Korra's arms wrapped around her waist, she barely noticed.

When the music stopped, she barely noticed.

When the sky grew dark, she barely noticed.

"Do you think anything will ever be easy for easy for us?" Korra mumbled into her shoulder.

"No." Asami replied honestly. "And that's just the way I like it."


End file.
